Background: Liver metastasis from sarcoma in metastatic disease is common and its effect on prognosis remains ill defined. Surgery remains paramount in sarcoma management; however, there is inadequate literature reporting the role of hepatic surgery as treatment for sarcoma liver metastases.
Methods: Fifteen patients who underwent hepatic resection for metastatic sarcoma between January 1, 1995 and January 1, 2009 were identified from a prospective hepatobiliary database. Clinicopathologic, operative, recurrence, and long-term survival data are presented.
Results: Three patients had synchronous liver metastases. The median time to developing liver metastasis was 26 (range, 0-206) months. The overall median survival from hepatic resection of liver metastasis was 103 (95% confidence interval, 6-200) months with a 5- and 10-year survival of 51% and 37%, respectively. The median disease-free survival from hepatic resection was 14 (95% confidence interval, 11-18) months. CD117 positive tumors was associated with an improved survival with a 3-year survival of 80% compared with 33% in CD117 negative tumors (P = 0.02).
Conclusions: Hepatic resection for sarcoma liver metastases with or without extrahepatic disease is a reasonable management strategy if a complete resection may be achieved. Concomitant treatment of CD117 positive tumors with imatinib leads to long-term survival.